Cheryl Miller

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Cheryl Miller (born on January 3, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a former college basketball player and coach, and considered by many the best female player in the history of the game. Her superior athletic ability and engaging personality made her an elite figure in sports. She is currently a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT having worked as a sports commentator for ABC, TBS and ESPN as well.

In 1995, Miller was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1999, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

She is the older sister of retired National Basketball Association star Reggie Miller.

Contents 1 High school career 2 University of Southern California 3 Post-college career 4 See also

[edit] High school career

Miller played at Riverside Polytechnic High School (1978–1982) where she was a four-year letter winner and led her team to a 132-4 record. She was the first player, male or female, to be named an All-American by Parade magazine four times. Averaging 32.8 points and 15.0 rebounds a game, Miller was Street & Smith's national High School Player of the Year in both 1981 and 1982. During her senior year she scored 105 points in one game against Norte Vista High School.

[edit] University of Southern California

In a spectacular career at the University of Southern California (USC), the 6 ft. 2 in. (1.87 m) Miller played the forward position. She was a four-year letter winner, and scored 3,018 career points (second to Hall of Famer Carol Blazejowski) and was a four-time All-American. Miller was named Naismith College Player of the Year three times and earned the Wade Trophy once. At USC, Miller led the Trojans to a 112-20 record and NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 and was named NCAA Tournament MVP both years. During her senior season, Miller picked up her third Naismith Award, the Broderick Award as the Female College Basketball Player of the Year, and established several USC records, including points (3,018, 23.6 PPG), rebounds (1,534, 12.0 rpg), field goals made (1,159), free throws made (700) and steals (462). Sports Illustrated magazine called her the best basketball player in the nation, male or female (1986).

Miller led the U.S. team to the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and was also part of the gold medal teams at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela and 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow.

In 1986, Miller became the first female ever nominated for the Sullivan Award, and in that same year, USC retired her #31 jersey (the same number Reggie wore with University of California, Los Angeles and the Indiana Pacers), making Miller the first Trojan athlete to be so honored.

[edit] Post-college career

After graduating from USC in 1986, she was drafted by several professional basketball leagues, including the United States Basketball League, a men's league. However, in the late 1980s, Miller suffered knee injuries that prevented her from continuing her playing career. From 1986 to 1991, she worked as an assistant coach at USC and as a television sports commentator.

Miller was named Head Coach at USC and coached two seasons (1993-95). Her teams had a combined 44-14 record and went to the NCAA tournament both seasons, making a Regional Final once. She then coached for four seasons (1997-2000) with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she also served as General Manager. "Run, run, run, run, run," Miller said about her kind of team. "Play some outstanding defense. I want this team to be physical, I want them to know the game." In 1998, Miller coached the Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where her team lost to the Houston Comets. She resigned after the 2000 season, citing fatigue.

[edit] See also

• List of famous tall women

Preceded by Anne Donovan	Naismith College Player of the Year (women's) 1984–1986	Succeeded by Clarissa Davis
Preceded by Janice Lawrence	Wade Trophy winner 1985	Succeeded by Kamie Ethridge
Preceded by James A. Dombrowski Edward D. Eyestone Timothy J. Green Susan K. Harbour Kathryn L. Hayes Lauri A. Young	Todays Top VI Award Class of 1987 Lisa L. Ice Jon L. Louis Cheryl Miller John C. Moffet Dub W. Myers Megan L. Neyer	Succeeded by Regina K. Cavanaugh Charles D. Cecil Keith J. Jackson Gordon C. Lockbaum Mary T. Meagher David Robinson
Preceded by Initial coach	Phoenix Mercury Head Coach 1997-2000	Succeeded by Cynthia Cooper